[SOLVED] NBA 2K21 Crashing on PC

The new 2K is finally here, but the fans don’t seem so happy about it. Except from the same old content, one disappointment is the crashing issue. If you’re experiencing crashes in 2K21 constantly, here’re some fixes for you to salvage your basketball dream.

But before you start troubleshooting the crashing issue, make sure your specs meet the game requirement. Though NBA 2K21 is by no means a graphically demanding title, your game is likely to crash if you’re using an old computer.

Minimum system requirements for NBA 2K21

Recommended system requirements for NBA 2K21

Try these fixes

1. Verify the integrity of game files
2. Install all Windows updates
3. Update your graphics driver
4. Close in-game overlay
5. Turn off VSync

Fix 1: Verify the integrity of game files

At some point, 2K21 will crash if you have important game files missing or corrupted. To verify the integrity of your game files, simply follow these steps:

1. Open your Steam client. Navigate to the LIBRARY tab. Right-click NBA 2K21 and select Properties.
   
2. In the pop-up window, navigate to the LOCAL FILES tab and select VERIFY INTEGRITY OF GAME FILES…. Then wait for the checking to complete.
   
3. Launch NBA 2K21 and check if it crashes again.

If this method doesn’t give you any luck, take a look at the next one.

Fix 2: Install all Windows updates

Microsoft releases Windows updates from time to time. They usually tackle stability issues and sometimes offer a performance boost. Also, updating your system could address software conflicts, making it a potential fix to your 2K21 crashing issue.

You can follow these steps to install all Windows updates:

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and I at the same time. This will open the Windows Settings app. Select Update & Security.
   
2. Click Check for updates. It’s going to take a while for Windows to search and install available updates. Once completed, restart your computer.
   

After updating your system, you can open NBA 2K21 and test your gameplay.

If 2K21 crashes again, simply move on to the next method.

Fix 3: Update your graphics driver

One of the most common causes of crashing is a corrupted or outdated graphics driver. So you should definitely try updating your graphics drivers before testing anything more complicated.

You can update manually if you like: You need to visit the manufacturer’s website (NVIDIA/AMD), search your graphics card and find the latest correct installer step by step. But if you don’t have the time, patience or computer skills to update your graphics driver manually, you can, instead, do it automatically with Driver Easy.

Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct drivers for your exact GPU, and your Windows version, and it will download and install them correctly:

1. Download and install Driver Easy.
2. Run Driver Easy, then click Scan Now. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.
   
3. Click Update All to automatically download and install the correct version of all the drivers that are missing or out of date on your system.
   (This requires the Pro version – you’ll be prompted to upgrade when you click Update All. If you don’t want to pay for the Pro version, you can still download and install all the drivers you need with the free version; you just have to download them one at a time, and manually install them, the normal Windows way.)
   

Once you’ve updated your graphics driver, restart your computer and check if the crash with 2K21 has been fixed.

If this fix doesn’t solve your problem, you can try the next one below.

Fix 4: Close in-game overlay

Some players reported that 2K21 stopped crashing after they disabled some overlay features. So you can check if you’re using the overlay feature in Steam, Discord or NVIDIA GeForce Experience. If you do, try turning off this feature and see if it fixes the crash.

For example, you can use these steps to disable Steam overlay:

1. Open your Steam client. On the top left corner, click Steam and select Settings.
   
2. Select In-Game from the left menu. Under the Steam Overlay section, uncheck these three boxes and click OK.
   
3. Launch NBA 2K21 and see if the issue persists.

If turning off in-game overlay doesn’t do the trick for you, simply move on to the next method.

Fix 5: Turn off VSync

In simpler terms, VSync, or Vertical Sync, refers to a graphics technology that synchronizes the game FPS to the refresh rate of your monitor. Though this feature fixes the screen tearing issue, there’re also reports that VSync might cause instability in games. You can therefore try disabling VSync as it might be the culprit of the crash.

1. First you need to turn off VSync in your graphics control panel. To do so, right-click a blank area on desktop, then select NVIDIA Control Panel.
   
2. From the menu on the left, select Manage 3D settings. Make sure you’re at the Global Settings tab, then click the text to the right of Vertical sync and select off.
   
3. Second, you need to disable VSync in NBA 2K21. Launch 2K21 and go to FEATURES > VIDEO SETTINGS. Then set Vertical Sync to off.
   
4. Restart NBA 2K21 and check if your problem has gone.

So these are the solutions to your NBA 2K21 crashing issue. Hopefully, one of the fixes above helped you fix the crash. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to drop a comment down below.